Monday, October 4, 2010

The projects of my Obsession

I haven’t mentioned any of the people in my life outside Laura and Carl that are important to me and I thought today I would tell you a little bit about my friend Amy. Talking to Amy is one of my favourite past times. When you talk to Amy about something that really matters to her – her eyes light up, her voice gets a little louder, she leans towards you and her expression says – isn’t this amazing? She could be talking about what her 4 year old did at school, the latest book she read, or the neighbourhood rally she lead for Obama’s campaign – the topic often doesn’t matter. It’s the enthusiasm in her voice and the obvious delight that she has experienced that you find yourself drawn to.

Amy has a passion for life that is so contagious, I would almost swear you could grab it out of the air and take it home with you…and a lot of times I try. After you spend just a little bit of time with Amy you realise that what makes her such a great mom, a wonderful friend, a loving wife, and an amazing writer is that she takes the time to listen and observe and tucks away little details that other people might miss. She remembers your sister’s boyfriend’s mom’s name (even though she’s never met her), peppers you with questions and makes you feel like you are the only thing that matters, even though somewhere she has a to do list longer than my arm. Amy embraces life and all its overwhelming options one new adventure at a time.

For me, I don’t really remember life without Amy. We were fast friends by the time we were 8 and have never really looked back. As far as what I have experienced in life – it was either with Amy or told to her in meticulous detail directly after. We haven’t lived in the same city since we were 18 years old, the same state since we were 25, or the same country since we were 28. If you saw us together though – you would never know. As her 4 year old said recently, “mom we have known Kathleen such a long time, it’s like she’s family.”
A few Christmas’ ago I was at Amy’s house admiring the mantel and Christmas stockings. At the time she only had one son and I was asking her which stocking belonged to whom. Even though the stockings were lovely, she made a self depreciating remark about needing to get her act together and make her son a Christmas stocking before next year. Fast forward 2 (!) years and Amy now has two sons and no handmade stockings…yet.
Approximately 13 months ago, right after the birth of Amy’s second child, I declared that I would be making them both Christmas stockings. I found a beautiful cross stitching and funky felt kit and started working away. I quickly realised these babies would be labours of love and that finishing them within the 2.5 month deadline of Christmas morning would be impossible. About the same time, I also went off and got myself engaged thus beginning the all encompassing wedding planning. I set the stockings down for a little while (read 6 months) and at the end of summer, I picked them back up.
Unfortunately when I started them, I didn’t know in the meantime I would be brave enough to start blogging and did not document my progress. But trust me when I tell you these really are the projects of my obsession. Each stitch has been filled with a whole lot of love (and a whole lot of learning). They are almost completely finished – the cross stitch one needs the backing and the felt one needs a few bobbles, but otherwise I am happy to present my greatest crafting feat ever:





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